Growth in motorhome lifestyle has industry excited

Growth in motorhome lifestyle has industry excited

New Zealand’s largest annual motorhome, caravan and outdoor expo gears up for another record breaking show

The growth in the motorhoming lifestyle has the industry in New Zealand pretty excited according to organisers of New Zealand’s largest annual motorhome, caravan and outdoor expo, the Covi SuperShow, that are prepared for another record breaking show in March.

“Holidaying in motorhomes and caravans is making a serious comeback in New Zealand,” Covi SuperShow Managing Director, David Culpan said. “And that has our exhibitors for the Covi SuperShow pretty enthusiastic and motivated.”

Culpan says there are a number of factors generating the good growth, including holiday homes becoming more costly and camping grounds by the beach are becoming much harder to access.

“It is difficult to get a quintessential kiwi summer holiday by the beach now so Kiwis are turning to the freedom of motorhomes and caravans, and it’s not just baby boomers but an increasing number of families too,” Cuplan said.

The growth is reflected in the marketplace where caravan and motorhome sales are on the rise being driven by convenience and being able to choose where they can go and how long they can stay in any given place.

Shaun Newman General Manager of TrailLite said they were seeing an exciting rise in interest and sales of both motorhomes and caravans. “With a TrailLite motorhome you can go off the grid for up to 14 days while some people choose to stay in camping grounds. Most caravan and motorhomes now have all the modern luxuries with satellite TV, separate toilet and shower, solar panels, full ovens and large fridges. We like to describe our TrailLite motorhomes as small apartments with all the comforts of home.”

Newman said they were also seeing an increasing number of families coming in and purchasing. “They are trying to find ways to give their kids some of the experiences they had when they were growing up.”

Cuplan said it all bode well for next year’s show at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds in March. “We are obviously keen to build on this year’s successful show that saw a record 220 motorhomes and caravans sold that was an increase of 29 percent on last year. Sales at this year’s show were between 28 to 30 million dollars, up from 10 to 12 million dollars in 2010 so it’s an exciting time for the industry and to meet the increasing demand for space we have had to introduce two new Halls and a new marque for 2018 that will feature a dedicated accessories area.”

The Covi SuperShow had a record 19,000 people through the gates in March this year, a number he believes will be broken again next year.

“We are planning for another record breaking show. The Covi SuperShow features the best motorhomes, caravans and accessories from New Zealand and around the world with a number of exhibitors choosing to exclusively launch new models and products at the show each year which makes it a pretty exciting few days.

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